1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for operating a radiation examination device, in particular an X-ray-examination device, which includes a radiation source and a detector device for the acquisition of radiation images, the imaging dose and/or dose rate that is incident on a detector of the detector device being measured and a control valve for controlling the radiation source being determined while using said measured dose and/or dose rate. The invention also relates to a corresponding detector device as well as to a radiation examination device with a radiation source and a corresponding detector device for carrying out the method.
2. Description of Related Art
For operation of such radiation examination devices it is desirable that the imaging dose or dose rate that is incident on the detector during the irradiation is known as exactly as possible so as to enable the radiation source to be controlled in such a manner that an optimum amount of radiation for the relevant examination is emitted by the radiation source. This is important notably for medical radiation examination devices such as, for example X-ray diagnostic devices. The patient to be examined therein should be exposed to the minimum necessary X-ray dose only.
In the context of the present application the terms xe2x80x9cradiation sourcexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cX-ray sourcexe2x80x9d are to be understood to means the entire equipment emitting radiation used for the examination. The terms xe2x80x9cdosexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdose ratexe2x80x9d are to be understood to mean the input dose or dose rate incident on the detector behind the object to be examined, for example the patient.
The measurement of the incident radiation during a radiation pulse is problematic notably when use is made of flat dynamic X-ray detectors (Dynamic Flat Panel X-ray Detectors). The information concerning the X-rays incident during an image can customarily be derived only from a preceding image, unless additional devices are used for measuring the dose or dose rate in an xe2x80x9con-linexe2x80x9d fashion (that is, during the X-ray pulse).
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,736 discloses an X-ray examination apparatus which includes a sensor matrix where the residual currents occurring because of stray capacitances around the switching transistor of the relevant matrix element are used to measure the radiation dose. This measurement can be performed at option via the read-out line, utilizing signal amplifiers that are present any way, or via special amplifiers in the counter electrode. At least the radiation duration or the radiation intensity is controlled by means of a control unit in dependence on the radiation measurement thus performed. This method has a drawback in that the measuring zone is fixed in a sense that either complete columns of the detector matrix or predetermined, specially wired regions must be read out, because for reasons of cost it would not be efficient to associate a respective amplifier with each individual sensor element. Such measuring zones, however, usually do not correspond exactly to the relevant region of interest (ROI) during the respective examination.
Generally speaking, the term ROI is used to indicate the region within the image that is of special interest to the relevant examination. For example, in the case of an X-ray examination of a patient this is the image region in which the relevant organ to be examined is reproduced.
Also known are methods in which an ionization chamber is arranged in front of the detector itself, which ionization chamber is used to measure the dose rate. This does not offer an optimum possibility either for taking into account the specific ROI during the measurement, because the ionization chamber limits the ROI functionality.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of the kind set forth and corresponding devices for carrying out this method, enabling a simple, economical and effective control of the radiation source such that each individual image is formed as exactly as possible while utilizing the optimum radiation dose for the selected ROI,
This object is achieved by a method of the kind set forth which is characterized in that for each image of a measuring sequence of successive images acquired by the detector device an image correction value is determined in dependence on a selected image region of the detector device and an adaptive correction value is determined while using said image correction value and the image correction values of the preceding images in the measuring sequence, the control value for controlling the radiation source being derived from the measured dose and/or dose rate while utilizing said adaptive correction value.
The additional adaptive correction value compensates the measuring errors of the device for measuring the dose or the dose power to a high degree; the dependency on a selected image region thus enables the ROI to be taken into account for the correction so that the ROI is taken up in the control value for controlling the radiation source. Because of the adaptive method, all image correction values of all preceding images are used within a measuring sequence. Compensation is thus made for the fact that the image correction value can be determined only after the formation of an image and hence becomes available for subsequent images only, so that it is not possible to determine the image correction value during the irradiation for direct control of the radiation source. Furthermore, compensation takes place in that the adaptive correction value is combined with the instantaneously measured dose or dose rate.
The method is particularly suitable for use in conjunction with dynamic flat panel X-ray detectors in which it is necessary to utilize said special devices for determining the dose or the dose rate. The invention, however, can also be used in principle in any other detector such as Static Flat Panel X-ray Detectors or imaging systems based on image intensifiers/TV chains in which, for example, information concerning the radiation intensity can be acquired via the photosensor during the X-ray exposure.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment for each image acquired first a working point of the detector device is determined from the ratio of a mean image output signal within the selected image region to a maximum image output signal of the detector device. This image working point of the ROI is indicated in relation to the maximum image output signal value. The image correction value is determined while utilizing said working point.
The ratio of the working point to the dose incident on the entrance face of the detector is determined by the so-called transfer function of the detector device. This ratio of working point to incident dose is also dependent on the spectrum because of the spectral dependency of the detector system. During a calibration procedure, carried out by means of a defined calibration radiation spectrum, therefore, the dose value is determined for a so-called xe2x80x9cnominal working pointxe2x80x9d. This calibration dose value is the so-called xe2x80x9cdose nominal valuexe2x80x9d, that is, for this dose nominal value the nominal working point is obtained automatically on the detector, or within the ROI of the detector, during an exposure in conformity with the calibration spectrum. When real objects, or patients, to be examined are present in the path of the X-ray beam, however, it is to be assumed that the X-ray spectrum incident on the detector deviates from said special calibration spectrum and that, consequently, the dose actually incident on the detector deviates from the dose determined by means of the working point derived from the image.
Preferably, the working point determined for the relevant image is first multiplied by a nominal scaling factor in order to form a normalized working point. This nominal scaling factor is formed by the quotient of the nominal dose value and a selected dose value, that is, a dose value adjusted by the operating staff. Subsequently, the quotient of a nominal working point value and the normalized working point is formed in order to obtain the image correction value. It is thus ensured that ultimately the image correction value represents the deviation between the working point at the adjusted dose from the working point determined from the image.
Because the detector working point, determined by the transfer function, is proportional to the dose incident on the detector as described above, the image must be scaled to the nominal working point for further processing, that is, each time independently of the incident dose, the image correction value is preferably taken into account for the scaling of these images. To this end, the nominal scaling factor is multiplied by the image correction value in a multiplication device, so that overall the image is always scaled to the nominal working point, that is, independently of the adjusted or selected dose value.
Such scaling of the image can be performed either in such a manner that each time the image correction value of the preceding image is used for the scaling of an image. To this end, the image correction value can be filtered by means of a low-pass filter so as to smooth brief fluctuations of the detector working point that are due, for example, to the respiration or the heart beat of the patient. This approach can be used only in the case of comparatively high image rates where the preceding image is representative of the next image.
However, each image is preferably scaled while taking into account the own image correction value. To this end, for example, the image can first be stored in a buffer memory until the detector device has determined the working point and the image correction value for the relevant image, so that it can be used for the further scaling.
The adaptive correction value for a next image is derived preferably from the respective product of the preceding adaptive correction value and the image correction value of the instantaneous image by means of a recursive method. To this end, the device for determining the adaptive correction value includes a correction value buffer memory. The adaptive correction value is each time stored in said correction value buffer memory and is extracted therefrom for the determination of the next correction value. Thus, according to this recursive method the image correction values of all preceding images are quasi multiplied. This means that the system is capable of learning in a sense that the correction value contains each time the entire history of the preceding correction values.
For example, an adaptive correction value from a suitable preceding measuring sequence can be taken as the starting value for such recursive determination of the adaptive correction value. Alternatively, of course special starting value can also be generated by way of a single image acquisition, for example at a low dose, or the starting value is set, for example, simply to the value 1.
Preferably, the adaptive correction value is used to correct the measured dose or dose rate and such a corrected dose or dose rate is subsequently used for determining the control value for controlling the radiation source, for example, by controlling the radiation intensity and/or the exposure time per image.
The method in accordance with the invention ensures correct exposure of each image while taking into account the ROI. The various imperfections of the sensors or the methods for measuring the dose power on the entrance surface of the detector, for example, the spectral deviation between the ionization chamber and the detector, the deviation between the ionization chamber area and the ROI, as well as environmental effects on the measuring results of the ionization chamber, or other errors, are compensated to a high degree. In as far as two successive images are identical, 100% correction is even possible. It can thus be achieved that the dose is optimized as well as possible, during the examination, thus optimizing also the radiation load for the patient in the medical field.